Frank Ramsey, Hall of Famer who won 7 titles with Celtics and 1 at Kentucky, dies at 86

Ramsey was "the original Sixth Man," and his No. 23 is retired by the Celtics

Frank Ramsey, a Hall of Famer who won seven NBA championships with Bill Russell's Boston Celtics and one under Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, died Sunday from natural causes. He was 86 years old.

Ramsey, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame, was a 1953-54 consensus All-American and 1951 NCAA champion for the Wildcats under legendary coach Adolph Rupp during his five-year college career. He was selected fifth overall in the 1953 NBA Draft by the Celtics, for whom he played nine years and averaged 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds.

The Celtics, who retired Ramsey's No. 23, issued the following statement in the wake of his death:

As a seven-time NBA Champion and the original "Sixth Man," Frank Ramsey helped create a legacy of excellence and selflessness that carried through generations, and remains part of the Boston Celtics ethos to this day. A true gentleman known for his elegance and thoughtfulness, he remained a loyal and active member of the Celtics family throughout his days. We join those celebrating his life and mourning his passing.

Ramsey retired following the 1963-64 season but later returned to basketball in 1970, where he coached the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1982.

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